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Review : Opera for Pocket PC January 18, 2006 [Pocket PC] | By Edward J. R. The Opera browser for Pocket PC has just been released but it is not free ... so before you buy it, you may be interested in reading a review about it (with several screen shots)! Read on! Opera for Pocket PC is available for download here - both in version for Windows Mobile 2003 (old version) and for Windows Mobile 5.0 (current version)! Unfortunately it is available only as a CAB file, that must be copied to Pocket PC (or downloaded directly) and not in a form of setup program for PC (that would make it possible to install it also on SD memory card). After downloading or copying the CAB file to your Pocket PC, you need to open it to start installation: 
If installation succeeds then you will see this message: 
... and in "Programs" menu you can see the Opera icon. 
Upon starting the Opera you are being informed that actually this program is not freeware but just a trial version that will expire after 45 days: 
... and that you may chose to use Opera as default Internet browser in your Pocket PC: 
From the server side one can recognize that user is watching the website with Opera because text "Opera 8.50" is transmitted to the server: 
Apart from full support for VGA resolution (i.e. 640x480 pixels) Opera 8.5 (the version that we review here) supports also orientation switching - directly from within the Opera application (menu: Display / Landscape): 
In menu "Display / Fit to screen" one switch on and off this option and get "desktop view" of the web page: 
... ot "fit to screen view" of the web page (kind of "one column view"): 
Unfortunately Opera 8.5 doesn't support tabs so user must switch among open windows through menu (Windows / Next Window) or through a list of Opera windows: 
Lack of tabs is a clear disadvantage of Opera 8.5 for Pocket PC, that is totally decreasing whole usability of the program! Sometimes, when connection problems occur, user gets an error mesaage: 
... without possibility to reconnect through cellular or Wi-Fi. Conclusion: release of Opera for Pocket PC is an important event, particularly because in past this company was saying openly that they will never release a version of their browsers for Windows Mobile, but now, after Nokia dumped them, they offer browsers both for MS Smartphone and now also for Pocket PC! Lack of tabs is very disappointing though and in the view of the situation that for Pocket PC several other browsers (with tabs!) are available like Minimo (free) and NetFront (commercial) - the Opera is not the best. This version of Opera - 8.5 - is still in BETA however and we can only hope that they will correct this mistake and introduce tabs too!  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later) [ 5 Comments ]
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